Auricular livestock identification tag

Abstract

The auricular livestock identification tag comprising a male portion having a head at an end of a narrower stem, the head protruding laterally from the stem by an abutment ledge, and a female portion having an annular body with an axial aperture, and an insertion side opposite an exposure side, and a plurality of resilient abutment members extending inwardly from the annular body into the axial aperture, the abutment members being flexible to allow penetration of the head through the axial aperture from the insertion side to the exposure side, and resilient so as to return toward its original position, and under the abutment ledge, after said penetration, to thereafter prevent retraction of the head through the axial aperture.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An auricular livestock identification tag, the tag comprising:
 a male portion having a stem, a base at a first end of the stem, the base being wider than the stem, and a head at a second end of the stem, opposite the base, the head being wider than the stem and having an abutment ledge facing the base; and 
 a female portion having an annular body with an axial aperture, an insertion side axially opposite an exposure side, and at least one resilient abutment member extending inwardly from the annular body into the axial aperture, the at least one resilient abutment member being in interference with the head, being flexible to yield upon penetration of the head through the axial aperture from the insertion side to the exposure side, and being resilient so as to return toward an original position after said penetration and thereby become opposable to retraction of the head by abutment against the abutment ledge; 
 wherein the head has a conical tip opposite the stem, and the female portion has a plurality of the at least one resilient abutment member, each resilient abutment member being flat and planar, oriented parallel to an axis of the axial aperture, having a connection edge connected to the annular body at a given one of a plurality of circumferentially interspaced positions, a free edge extending in the axial aperture in said interference with the head, a first axial edge at the insertion side and a second axial edge at the exposure side, providing said abutment against the abutment ledge of the head. 
 
     
     
       2. The identification tag of  claim 1  wherein the abutment members yield to the head by flexing tangentially when the head is pushed axially against the abutment members, into and through the axial aperture. 
     
     
       3. The identification tag of  claim 1  wherein the resilient abutment members are inclined from a radial orientation by a given angle. 
     
     
       4. The identification tag of  claim 1  wherein the resilient abutment members extend by a depth between the connection edge and the free edge which is smaller than an axial height between the first axial edge and the second axial edge. 
     
     
       5. The identification tag of  claim 1  wherein the free edge of the abutment members slopes from the first axial edge to the second axial edge. 
     
     
       6. The identification tag of  claim 1  wherein the first axial edge is narrower than the second axial edge. 
     
     
       7. The identification tag of  claim 1  further comprising at least one predetermined structural weakness along the stem designed to break when the stem is subjected to an extension force above a predetermined threshold, and a receptacle connected to the exposure side and housing the head once the head is inserted through the aperture, wherein the receptacle has apertures allowing visual access therein. 
     
     
       8. The identification tag of  claim 1  wherein the insertion side has a protruding surface for abutment against an ear of the animal during use, the protruding surface having a plurality of air circulation channels providing for circulation of air with the aperture when in said abutment against the ear. 
     
     
       9. The identification tag of  claim 8  further comprising a gap between the male member and the female member between the stem and the axial aperture after said penetration, the gap allowing air passage from the insertion side to the exposure side. 
     
     
       10. The identification tag of  claim 1  wherein the male portion is connected to female portion by an interconnection portion. 
     
     
       11. The identification tag of  claim 1  further comprising an identification panel hinged to the female portion, for folding in a direction normal the annular body. 
     
     
       12. The identification tag of  claim 11  wherein the identification panel includes a UHF antenna. 
     
     
       13. The identification tag of  claim 1 , wherein the female portion is made of two superposed annular halves including a second half overmoulded to a first half. 
     
     
       14. The identification tag of  claim 13  wherein the two superposed annular halves are made of corresponding materials compatible to form a satisfactory chemical bond upon said overmoulding. 
     
     
       15. The identification tag of  claim 13  wherein the material of the overmoulding is more flexible than the material of the other annular half. 
     
     
       16. The identification tag of  claim 13 , wherein an annular antenna coil is trapped in a cavity between the two connected halves. 
     
     
       17. The identification tag of  claim 13  wherein the head has a puncture tip which is embedded in the head by said over moulding.